People Think This Picture Captures The Mood Of Brexit Britain Perfectly

Why the long faces?

It was meant to be the day when Brexiteers mapped out their vision for a brave, buccaneering future outside the European Union.

Instead, it is likely to be best remembered for this photograph, taken by Dan Kitwood of Getty Images, that many believed captured the mood of the nation facing a messy divorce.

Dan Kitwood via Getty Images

A plan produced by the Economists for Free Trade group – which was endorsed by leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg at a meeting attended by other Brexit luminaries such as Boris Johnson and Peter Bone – argued ‘no deal’ Brexit was unquestionably A Good Thing.

They posited that adopting World Trade Organisation rules, the default setting once slipping free from Brussels, was the “very best” option and that there was “no evidence that EU membership had boosted UK economic growth”.

Bit between his teeth, Rees-Mogg claimed these circumstances would boost the UK economy by £1.1 trillion over 15 years.

So why the long faces?

Dan Kitwood via Getty Images

Dan Kitwood via Getty Images

Bloomberg via Getty Images

To be fair, who amongst us has not wished we could be somewhere – anywhere – as a colleague really drills deep into some hard data.

This could be what the glazed eyes speak to.

When you’re at a meeting you think is ending and someone answers “Yes, actually” to the question “Any other business?” (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty) pic.twitter.com/2Ji8kUpVsy

In any case, economist Jonathan Portes dismissed the claims of a ‘Brexit dividend’ as “entirely false” and “obviously absurd”.

He told HuffPost UK: “If we leave the EU, the EU is perfectly within its rights (and indeed is largely legally obliged) to impose the same checks at and behind borders, including customs and safety, that it currently does for non-EU members like the US.

“The idea that this will not result in costs and delays – which is what their modelling assumes – is garbage.”

"What about a bus?""We tried the fucking bus. The fucking bus is why we're here.""How about me making an allusion to something in antiquity - perhaps in latin?""Shut it Mogg. Honest to God. Shut the fuck up."